Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a washing machine having a housing, a laundry-moving device, and a fan.
The prior art discloses washing machines of the type mentioned in the form of commercially available household washing machines with an integrated drying function. Such household washing machines, for the purpose of moving the laundry, have a laundry drum into which washing liquid is dispensed. The dirt released from the laundry is, then, transported away in a rinsing operation.
The drying of the laundry follows the washing operation. Preliminary, water removal takes place by spinning of the laundry. Thereafter, the laundry is dried, by hot air, either by the condensation principle or by the ventilation principle. If use is made of the condensation principle, it is necessary to have a heat exchanger, on which the moisture-laden air condenses. German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 196 44 711 A1 discloses a laundry dryer in which flow-directing bodies are disposed in a curved gas duct upstream of the heat exchanger, the bodies subdividing the gas duct in the flow direction into individual flow spaces and, thus, evening out the gas stream over the cross-section at the outlet of the gas duct and/or at the inlet of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is to be better utilized in this way. German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 199 43 389 A1 discloses a further-developed heat exchanger for household laundry dryers.
German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 198 42 644 A1 discloses a ventilated dryer and a circulating-air dryer operating by the condensation principle, in which the process air stream is monitored.
The prior art also discloses washing, drying, and pressing configurations for industrial laundry purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,988 to Shimazaki et al. discloses an industrial cleaning configuration that has a conveying chain for transporting the laundry through the various washing-process steps. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,435 to Gallagher discloses a continuously operating cleaning installation. The cleaning installation has a configuration for subjecting the laundry to mechanical action. A corresponding installation is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,018 to Gallagher.
Netherlands Patent Document NL 10 05 069 C2 discloses an industrial hot mangle that is intended for drying and ironing laundry and has an endless conveying belt. The conveying belt is guided, in part, along an evaporating configuration.
Japanese Patent Document JP-A-10118398 to Ishihara et al. discloses a drying, pressing and ironing configuration that is intended for washed laundry and has a belt for absorbing the moisture and rollers for transporting the laundry.
Japanese Patent Document JP-A-5337300 to Shimazaki discloses an industrial washing configuration with a conveyor that conveys the laundry through the various washing-process steps in the installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,768 discloses a conveyor that is intended for moving laundry and in the case of which the laundry that is to be conveyed is coupled to the conveying belt by fastening clips.
German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 32 16 195 A1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,633 to Winch et al., discloses a mangle in which, by a conveying belt, the laundry is pressed against a roller to carry out preliminary water removal.